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About this project

*** We did it! We reached our goal of $30,000 -- our bare minimum to get the Table on the road. Any additional funds we raise will be used to film in more communities and complete post-production. You can still donate to the project at www.bringit2thetable.org. Thank you for your support! ***

BRING IT TO THE TABLE

A video and web project that brings citizens together around issues that normally tear us apart.

THE PROBLEM

Somewhere along the line, politics replaced sex as the one thing in America we don't discuss in mixed company – even amongst friends and family.Democracy is founded on robust dialogue, and if we can't have conversations across party lines, democracy doesn't work.

OUR SOLUTION

Bring it to the Table is a participatory online platform, community engagement campaign, and a series of webisodes aimed at bridging political divides and elevating the national conversation. The project is for those who are tired of hyper-partisanship and want to steer political discourse back into the hands of the American people.

Bring It to the Table is a project of Talking Eyes Media, an award-winning documentary company whose work has appeared in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and on Good Morning America, CNN, Discovery, MSNBC, and PBS stations nationwide.

HOW TO HELP

Watch our video above. Donate to the campaign. Share the project via social media, and join us in making politics an acceptable topic for dinner conversation again.

WE WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE BARE MINIMUM WE NEED for our table tour is $30,000 for travel expenses for a four-person crew and
costs related directly to initial production. Ultimately we're aiming for
$50,000 so we can complete post production on the webisodes and launch a robust
outreach campaign. Any money beyond that will be used to enhance our
website and bring the table to more communities, including college campuses.

Bring it to the Table is a non-partisan project and Talking Eyes Media is non-profit, so your donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

The concept is simple. We’re bringing our Star-Spangled Table on tour across America, setting it up in public places such as bookstores, bakeries, barbershops, schools and farms, and asking you to sit down and speak candidly about your political beliefs. No hysterics. No ranting. Just genuine discussion aimed at peeling away the stereotypes that dominate today's political debate.

In the spirit of true democracy, we are launching a participatory web site that allows for healthy discourse. The website connects a growing community of folks who want to post questions for those whose political views differ from their own. The people sitting at The Table will answer those queries, creating a dialogue loop. Throughout our Table Tour we’ll upload videos from the road, inviting constructive comments from you along the way. You will determine which line of conversations are productive or counterproductive, helping to shape and elevate the dialogue.

In the end, our great adventure through the American political psyche will be edited into webisodes that take us beyond ideology, and into the foundation—and the future—of our national conversation. Because the discussion will focus on values, not candidates, this project will endure far beyond the current election cycle.

HOW YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE USED

We’ve already started shooting in New York and New Jersey. A bare bones website is now live and it will expand dramatically over the next three months. Now we need your help to take The Table on the road.

Your tax-deductible contribution will take our four-member crew and The Table to at least five communities across the country, as well as to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Kickstarter donations will cover the pre-production and travel expenses for this Table Tour. Though our Kickstarter goal is $30,000, we're trying to raise $50,000 so the crew can get paid and we can finish post-production on the webisodes. Any funds beyond that will be used to visit more communities on our Tour and enhance the website.

This isn’t just a crowd-funded project, it’s a crowd-produced project. This is your dialogue. These are your beliefs and your solutions. We’ve heard enough from media moguls and politicians. We want to hear from you. Please join us at The Table and be among the first to build a creative community of Americans speaking productively about our future. No matter your background, your hometown, your livelihood, your tax base, your political party, we want you to Bring It.

WHO ARE WE?

We are Talking Eyes Media (TEM), a non-profit organization with a long history of producing powerful media for pressing issues. We produce documentary films, multimedia, books and exhibitions that stimulate dialogue and advocate for positive social change.

TEM was founded in 2002 by Julie Winokur (writer and documentary filmmaker) and Ed Kashi (photojournalist, filmmaker, and member of VII Photo Agency). Since then we have been at the forefront of multimedia storytelling, generating award-winning projects on topics ranging from aging to healthcare to social entrepreneurship.

Our work has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, honored several times by the Webby Awards, and has won numerous awards from World Press, Pictures of the Year, the National Press Club and various film festivals. Both Julie Winokur and Ed Kashi are on the faculty of the International Center of Photography and have been invited to present their work at many prestigious organizations around the world.

Our team is joined by social media guru Keith Mancuso who will head up the web development. Mancuso is a freelance web developer and online marketer specializing in non-profits. Before going freelance full-time, Keith spent seven years working at Housing Works, a New York City-based non-profit.

Thanks for visiting and considering a donation.

With much enthusiasm and commitment,

Julie Winokur, Ed Kashi and The Talking Eyes Media Team

(Elissa Pellegrino, Jessey Dearing and Julie Turkewitz)

MORE ABOUT THE REWARDS

When you donate, we give back. (That's how it should be!) Below, check out the prints you'll receive if you donate at our $1,000 or $1,500 levels.

$1,000 — Receive a portfolio of three signed Ed Kashi images from across America. (11 x 14)

$1,500 — Receive a signed limited edition Ed Kashi image from the 1998 Miss Exotic World Pageant. Just five available. (20 X 24)

Shortly we will send you an email survey to request any info needed to deliver you and your fellow backers' rewards. If you think you might have missed a survey email, please log in to your Kickstarter account to check -- you'll see a notification at the top of the site for any missed surveys.

Pledge $100 or more

42 backers

COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Shout out + custom-designed campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + ridiculously cool "Bring It" t-shirt + unique chance to shape the dialogue by beta testing our web platform and contributing the first questions to be asked on the Table Tour. BONUS: The first 25 donors at the $100-level or higher will receive an authentic, hand-sewn Bring it to the Table Star-Spangled Tablecloth, as seen in our Kickstarter video.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

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Pledge $250 or more

2 backers

STATE SENATOR: All of the above + invitation to smashingly exciting Apple Pie Presidential Inauguration Day Party in NYC (January 2013), including stimulating political dialogue with the creative team.

Estimated delivery:Jan 2013

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

3 backers

GOVERNOR: All of the above + a private creative consultation with filmmaker Julie Winokur and/or photojournalist Ed Kashi OR a private dinner with the creative team. The consultation can include portfolio or multi-media review, editorial advice, media counseling, proposal review, Final Cut Pro tutorial, or any media-related queries you want to explore.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

3 backers

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE (Option 1): Shout out on donor page + campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + "Bring It" t-shirt + invitation to party + opportunity to join the creative team on the Table Tour for two days as we conduct interviews and shoot b-roll. This is a chance to learn documentary filmmaking from the pros. Travel expenses paid by donor.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

1 backer

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE (Option 2): Shout out on donor page + campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + "Bring It" t-shirt + invitation to party + a portfolio of three signed photographs from world-renowned photojournalist Ed Kashi, normally valued at $2,250. (Unframed at 11 x 14) See images at left.

Pledge $2,500 or more

0 backers

SECRETARY OF STATE: Shout out on donor page + campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + "Bring It" t-shirt + invitation to party + one day multimedia training workshop with Julie Winokur or Ed Kashi at your organization or school. This is great for educators, nonprofits and community organizations who want to learn to tell their stories via photography, video and engaging text. Travel expenses paid by donor.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

0 backers

VICE PRESIDENT: Shout out on donor page + campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + "Bring It" t-shirt + invitation to party + Talking Eyes Media takes The Table to your community, inviting you to join us on set to help shape the conversation. The crew will also offer a master class about political discourse or multi-media at the location of your choice. This is great for educators, nonprofits and community organizations who want to learn to tell their stories via photography, video and engaging text. Travel expenses paid by donor.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $10,000

0 backers

PRESIDENT: Congratulations! You get a producer credit. You also get: Shout out on donor page + campaign buttons + downloadable compilation of "Bring It" webisodes + "Bring It" t-shirt + invitation to party + Talking Eyes Media takes The Table to your community, inviting you to join us on set to help shape the conversation. The crew will also offer a master class about political discourse or multi-media at the location of your choice. This is great for educators, nonprofits and community organizations who want to learn to tell their stories via photography, video and engaging text. Travel is included.